Riddle for the Castanauts.

[Lady tehMa]

Ding, ding, we have a winner. Yukon highway 1 dips down in to BC at Swift River, and then goes back into the Yukon 65 km later where it stays there until it turns into Alaska highway 2 at the border. Yes there really are two highway 1s in BC.

This does not surprise me, as we have how many "Hollywood Road"s here in Kelowna? XD

[Glacier]

The high arctic research station of Eureka, Nunavut is known for many things. Among them the driest place in Canada, the coldest place in Canada on average, and the place with the least amount of cloud cover in Canada. On the latter point, Eureka gets more than 3500 hours per year with clear skies (0 to 20% cloud cover). This compares to:
-2600 hours in Winnipeg,
-2400 in Regina,
-2300 in Ottawa, Toronto, Medicine Hat, Calgary, and Yellowknife,
-2200 in Montreal,
-2100 in Victoria and Moncton,
-2000 in Edmonton and Kamloops,
-1900 in Vancouver and Penticton,
-1800 in Abbotsford,
-1600 in Whitehorse,
-1200 in St. John's and Terrace, and
-1100 in Prince Rupert.

In terms of hours of sunshine, Eureka gets 2100 hours per year. This is similar to Kamloops, Victoria, and Ottawa, and certainly less than that the 2500+ hours that Calgary and Medicine Hat get.

Why is it that the number of hours of clear skies matches with the number of hours of sunshine hours +/- 200 hours for all the places above except Eureka where there a difference of 1400 hours?

[Glacier]

Well you guys suck. The answer is that winters are clear, but dark while summers are cloudy in the land of the midnight sun.

Okay, let's try another one. I received my property tax bill in the mail. My taxes are up 10% over last year, but the amount I must pay is up 12% over last year. Why the different?

[looking4one]

You didn't pay on time last year? They expect you won't pay on time again this year? You flushed 3 times too many and have to pay for the additional water?

I give up, why DO YOU have to pay more?

[Glacier]

Nope, nope, nope, and nope. I will give it another couple hours before giving out the answer. Hint: think about how your taxes are added up.

[kgcayenne]

Your assessment is higher this year.

[Glacier]

My assessment is higher, hence the 10% increase instead of the city-wide 3% increase, but the question remains, why is my balance owing up 12% when my taxes are only up 10%?

[LANDM]

There is another line item that didn't exist before......eg. Lake Country parcel tax, which they do not count as property tax.....or a utility charge that is higher or did not exist before, for example a new sewer area........or, you are in an area where they send you a bill in February for half of the taxes, such as in Vancouver, and you didn't pay then, so there is a penalty assessed.
Could be quite a few reasons.

[Queen K]

A parcel tax? What the heck is a parcel tax?

[LANDM]

Mayor Baker proudly exclaimed that taxes are not going up. And then immediately levied a $125 charge per lot/land parcel for infrastructure improvements..........but it's not a tax, so your taxes didn't go up......riiiiggghhhttttttt.

[LANDM]

Another reason for Glaciers conundrum......he owns multiple properties and purchased another one this year so his total tax bill is higher.
Or he sold one property and bought another. The tax bills are referring to different properties.

There can be quite a few reasons.....which is it Glac?

And, I realize it doesn't have to be limited to one of the choices I gave. They are just valid examples.

[LANDM]

Another possibility.
You are like Benjamin Button. You are getting younger and went from 65 to 64 this year and lost the seniors grant.

Or you claimed the homeowners grant on another property and have to pay the extra on this property.

Or, your assessed value is higher than the HOG level this year and can no longer claim it.

I can go on and on.......

[GordonH]

Mayor Baker proudly exclaimed that taxes are not going up. And then immediately levied a $125 charge per lot/land parcel for infrastructure improvements..........but it's not a tax, so your taxes didn't go up......riiiiggghhhttttttt.

Governments ways of not raising taxes, and still getting extra revenue (all levels do this same crap).
But they can still claim We never raised your taxes, just user fees.... permit fees.... etc... etc

[LANDM]

Or, you worded the question incorrectly and are trying to be clever with thinking you worded it properly, compounded with an inability to do simple math.

Eg. 100/90=1.11 or 100/112=89.3 and you don't know the principle of rounding.

C'mon, let's have it!

[Glacier]

The answer is... you have forgotten about the homeowner's grant which does not go up with tax inflation rates each year. When you account for the $770 being deducted last year and this year, the amount I have to pay is up 12% even though regional district taxes, city taxes, and school taxes are up 10%.